My Soapbox, Part 1

Vagina.

It's not a dirty word. It's not a crude insult. It's not a name to call your buddy when he's being ridiculous.

It's a body part.

For the past few months, it's become my mini-mission every time this issue comes up to rail against this awful idea that "vagina" or any euphemism for the term is appropriate as an insult. I see it mostly among my guy friends. One of them will say something stupid, and the others will respond with something like, "Shut up, you pussy," or "Quit being a vag!" And I'm tired of it.

I've actually had lengthy discussions about this, and the resolution most guys come to is as follows:

"It's not an insult to women. In fact, it has nothing to do with how we see women. I am a man, not a woman, so to call me a woman or a female body part is to insult my manhood. It's not because being a woman is bad, it's just bad for me...because I'm a man."

So it's okay for me to be a woman, but not you. Somehow, it's an insult for you to degrade yourself to being a woman. Theoretically, it's good to be a woman...unless you're a MAN. What kind of screwed-up, crapola logic is that?! Follow it through. Really think it out. If it's bad to be a woman, if it's an appropriate insult, then women are the lower, weaker, demeaned sex. That's what you are saying, whether you mean to or not.

It's the same as if you said something so ridiculous like, "Oh you BLACK PERSON!" and then defended it with the statement that it's okay for black people to be black, but if you're not black it's an insult. Same thing. Same degradation, same overbearing logic.

Until we can change the way people talk, we won't change how others think. It's been so ingrained in our culture, even now after decades of fighting for liberation and equality for women. Girls today struggle with enough as it is, dealing with self-confidence and self-image. Don't add to it. Set the example. Be the difference. Quit calling each other female genitalia. Because until you do, you're screwing it up for the rest of us.